Statewide Iowa (RI) — The CDC reports psychostimulants surpassed opioids as the leading cause of overdose deaths in Iowa in 2024 and have remained there.
Iowa Health and Human Services says the majority of those deaths involve methamphetamine.
Susan Vileta with the Johnson County Public Health Department says the shift isn’t surprising, since stimulant overdoses there were already higher than opioid overdoses from 2020 to 2023. She tells KCRG‑TV that public health efforts have focused on cutting back opioid use for years, partly because of settlement money from pharmaceutical companies that made opioids.
Johnson County used the settlement money to install vending machines stocked with free Narcan.
Travis Ocken with the Drug Enforcement Administration tells KCRG-TV that the amount of methamphetamine brought into Iowa fluctuates each year.
Ocken said the meth currently being seized is extremely pure, making it more addictive.
Iowa HHS is warning doctors about the increase in stimulant overdoses and is asking them to be prepared to recognize symptoms, including increased heart rate and overheating.
KIWA Staff Photo
